Light-degradable material for producing disposable medical appliances

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a light-degradable material for producing disposable medical appliances having main components of polypropylene resin and composite allochromatic agent, wherein the composite allochromatic agent is composed of photoinitiator and sensitizer. The photoinitiator contains ferric citrate (FeC 6 H 5 O 7 ) and ferrous pentadione (FeC 5 H 8 O 2 ), and the sensitizer contains hexachloroacetone (Cl 6 C 3 O) and acetylbenzene (C 8 H 8 O). The material of present invention is neither toxic nor polluted in producing or in using, and can rapidly change color while being irradiated by UV rays. Reuse of these medical appliances can be thereby avoided. When they are thrown away in nature, they will keep degrading and decay to powder within 45˜75 days. They are desired substitutes of present material for producing disposable medical appliances.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to the material for producingdisposable medical appliances, especially relates to thelight-degradable material for producing disposable medical appliances.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] As the increasing awareness of environment protection, it islimited or forbidden to any production or action which can result inenvironmental pollution in all over the world. Meanwhile, relevantregulations have been issued. The polypropylene as the light-degradablematerial is only used for food packing according to the Chinese patentpublication No. CN1194275A, which mainly focuses on the internationalproblem of environment pollution i.e. “the white pollution”. However,there is no better solution to deal with the large quantity of usage anddiscard of disposable medical appliances, such as injectors, droppingbottles, and droppers, those are usually made of polypropylene. Whilemore and more disposable medical appliances are used, the waste medicalappliances are left in nature by a large amount. Such medical applianceswould decompose in decades, or even longer in nature, because the C—Cbonds and C—O bonds in their structure are not sensitive to light. Thedisposable medical appliances are very useful in preventing from themutual virus infection. Although it is prescribed in China that alldisposable injectors must be sterilized and destroyed on the spot afteruse, there is no suitable method available to destroy the injectors sothat some disposable injectors were used for many times, resulting insevere mutual infection on patients. Therefore it is an important agendafor the governments of each country to prevent the above problem fromdoing harm to human and pollution to environment. At present, although,the light degradable material is available, it is generally used in foodpacking. Because the disposable medical appliances require hightransparence and high bio-security for the material, the lightdegradable material for food packing is not suitable for producingdisposable medical appliances.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In order to solve above problem that harmfulness brings to peopleby used disposable medical appliances and pollutant brings toenvironment, the present invention provides the light-degradablematerial, obtained from polypropylene resin by adding compositeallochromatic agent therein, for producing disposable medicalappliances. The allochromatic agent is composed of photoinitiator andsensitizer, wherein the photoinitiator contains ferric citrate(FeC₆H₅O₇) and ferrous pentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂); the sensitizer containshexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) and acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O). The content ofthese components is photoinitiator 0.04%˜0.08% and sensitizer 0.4%˜0.9%based on the weight of polypropylene resin. As in photoinitiator, ferriccitrate (FeC₆H₅O₇) is 0.02%˜0.04%, ferrous pentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂) is0.02%˜0.04%, and in sensitizer, hexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) is0.2%˜0.45%, acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O) is 0.2%˜0.45% based on the weight ofthe polypropylene resin.

[0004] According to the present invention, the disposable medicalappliances such as disposable injectors made by light-degradablematerial remain high transparence, high bio-security, and is insolubleto water. After being used, the medical appliances would change color toyellow while being sterilized by UV rays in short time because of thepresence of the composite allochromatic agent. Reuse of these medicalappliances can be thereby avoided. Even when the medical appliances arethrown away in nature, they will keep degrading and decay to powderwithin 45˜75 days while exposing in light. When molecular weight thereofdecreases to about 5000, they will decompose to carbon dioxide and waterby microorganism in soil as well as the problem of pollution toenvironment introduced by discarded plastic is resolved. The material isneither toxic nor polluted, and may be as the desired substitute ofmaterial for producing disposable medical appliances.

EXAMPLES Example 1

[0005] Raise the temperature of high speed stirrer to 90° C., and put125000 g of polypropylene, 25 g of ferric citrate (FeC₆H₅O₇), 25 g offerrous pentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂), 250 g of hexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) and250 g of acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O) into the high speed stirrer, and stirringfor 5 minutes at this constant temperature. Then put the mixture intosingle-screw extruder using automatic feed equipment, and extrude outthe pelletings. The heating temperatures of three parts from feed inletto outlet of single-screw extruder are 140° C., 200° C., 125° C.respectively.

Example 2

[0006] Raise the temperature of high speed stirrer to 90° C., put 125000g of polypropylene, 50 g of ferric citrate (FeC₆H₅O₇), 50 g of ferrouspentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂), 562.5 g of hexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) and 562.5 gof acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O) into the high speed stirrer, and stirring for 5minutes at this constant temperature. Then put the mixture intosingle-screw extruder using automatic feed equipment, and extrude outthe pelletings. The heating temperatures of three parts from feed inletto outlet of single-screw extruder are 140° C., 200° C., 125° C.respectively.

Example 3

[0007] This is the best mode to carry out the invention. Raise thetemperature of high speed stirrer to 90° C., put 125000 g ofpolypropylene, 37.5 g of ferric citrate (FeC₆H₅O₇), 37.5 g of ferrouspentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂), 406.25 g of hexafluoroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) and 406.25g of acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O) into the high speed stirrer, and stirring for5 minutes at this constant temperature. Then put the mixture intosingle-screw extruder using automatic feed equipment, and extrude outthe pelletings. The heating temperatures of three parts from feed inletto outlet of single-screw extruder are 140° C., 200° C., 125° C.respectively.

1. Light-degradable material for producing disposable medical appliance,which is made of polypropylene resin, characterized in that compositeallochromatic agent which comprises the photoinitiator and thesensitizer is added into polypropylene resin, wherein the photoinitiatorcontains ferric citrate (FeC₆H₅O₇) and ferrous pentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂),the sensitizer contains hexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) and acetylbenzene(C₈H₈O), the content of these components is: the photoinitiator0.04%˜0.08% and the sensitizer 0.4%˜0.9% based on the weight ofpolypropylene resin.
 2. Light-degradable material for producingdisposable medical appliances according to claim 1, characterized inthat the content of ferric citrate (FeC₆H₅O₇) is 0.02%˜0.04%, andferrous pentadione (FeC₅H₈O₂) is 0.02%˜0.04% in the photoinitiator basedon the weight of polypropylene resin.
 3. Light-degradable material forproducing disposable medical appliances according to claim 1,characterized in that the content of hexachloroacetone (Cl₆C₃O) is0.2%˜0.45%, and acetylbenzene (C₈H₈O) is 0.2%˜0.45% in the sensitizerbased on the weight of polypropylene resin.